The past year saw a sharp rise in the number of civilians killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a human rights group said.

An annual report from the Jerusalem-based B'Tselem showed that in 2011 Israeli security forces killed a total of 105 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, of whom 37 were confirmed as non-combatants.

"The picture is harsh, not because of dramatic events or a sudden deterioration, but precisely because of the routine," the report said.

"This year, we enter the 45th year since Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip. What was supposed to be a temporary situation appears firmly entrenched with no change in sight."

Israel captured the West Bank, the Golan Heights, mainly Arab east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Six-Day War, but pulled its settlers and soldiers out of Gaza in 2005. It still occupies the other areas until today.

The 63-page B'Tselem report said that the 2010 Gaza total was 68 fatalities, of whom 18 were not taking part in hostilities.

In the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, it said, Israelis killed 11 Palestinians in 2011, although it could not give a definitive breakdown of how many were engaged in hostilities.

"Human rights violations are inherent in a military occupation, and the protracted nature of Israel's occupation only exacerbates human rights violations," B'Tselem quoted its executive director, Jessica Montell, as saying.

Between January and December 2011, B'Tselem said, Palestinians killed 11 Israeli civilians, among them a couple and three of their children murdered in their West Bank settlement home.

Eight of the deaths occurred in the West Bank, two in rocket attacks on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip and one from a bomb in Jerusalem.

In 2010 five Israeli civilians, two foreign nationals and three members of the Israeli security forces were killed, the report said.

Wow you got a youtube video showing a few fat people in Gaza. A youtube video. From a myspace blog. That's fucking authoritative...

Here are the UN figures:

Quote:

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the Gaza humanitarian crisis is significant and should not be understated. It also states that the situation is a "human dignity crisis" in the Gaza strip, entailing "a massive destruction of livelihoods and a significant deterioration of infrastructure and basic services". Fear and panic are widespread; 80% of the population could not support themselves and were dependent on humanitarian assistance.[6] The International Red Cross said the situation was "intolerable" and a "full blown humanitarian crisis."[385] The importation of necessary food and supplies continues to be blocked even after the respective ceasefires.[386] According to the World Food Programme, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and Palestinian officials, between 35% and 60% of the agriculture industry was wrecked. With extensive damage occurring to water sources, greenhouses, and farmland. It is estimated that 60% of the agricultural land in the north of the Strip may no longer be arable.[387][388] More than 50,800 Gazans were left homeless.[350] Extensive destruction was caused to commercial enterprises and to public infrastructure. According to Palestinian industrialists, 219 factories were destroyed or severely damaged during the Israeli military operation. They accounted as part of the 3% of industrial capacity that was operating after the Israeli blockade was imposed, which was mostly destroyed during the operation.[389]

The Emergency Relief Coordinator of the United Nations has stated that after the end of the Israeli operation, at best, only 120 truckloads get into Gaza, instead of the normal daily requirement, including commercial traffic, of 500 trucks at minimum. It is also reported in his statement and other UN humanitarian office reports that essential items such as construction materials, water pipes, electrical wires, and transformers continue to be effectively banned, or only allowed infrequently. He also stated that commercial goods must be allowed in and out, since Gaza Palestinians "do not want or deserve to be dependent on humanitarian aid" and that the "limited trickle" of items into Gaza continue the effective collective punishment of the civilian population and force the counter-productive reliance on tunnels for daily essentials.
Tent camp, Gaza Strip, April 2009

The UN also reported that international organizations have faced "unprecedented denial" of access to Gaza by Israel since 5 November and that humanitarian access remains unreliable and needs to be granted in a daily basis unrestricted.[402]

In a damage assessment by the World Health Organization, 48% of the 122 health facilities assessed were found to be damaged or destroyed, 15 of Gaza's 27 hospitals and 41 primary health care centers suffered damages, and 29 ambulances were partially damaged or destroyed. Injured patients needing referral outside Gaza for specialized care were evacuated exclusively through the Egyptian Rafah border crossing. In the early stages of the conflict, Hamas sealed the border, and prevented wounded Palestinians from seeking medical attention in Egypt. On 30 December, the organization allowed a trickle of medical evacuations from Gaza, but restricted their number. Gaza Ministry of Health reported that between December 29 and January 22, 608 injured were evacuated through Rafah. The Israeli Erez crossing was closed much of the period and only 30 patients were able to exit during the crisis.[401][403] An initial survey conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that 14,000 homes, 68 government buildings, and 31 non-governmental organization offices (NGOs) were either totally or partially damaged, creating about 600,000 tonnes of concrete rubble needing to be removed. Since 2007, construction material have not permitted entry into Gaza, adversely affecting UN projects, in particular UNRWA and UNDP which were forced to suspend more than $100 million in construction projects due to lack of materials.[394]

One year after the ceasefire approximately 20,000 people remained displaced.

While Hamas was to blame for some of this (firing rockets and starting the conflict; sealing the borders and not letting civilians seek aid in Egypt), I think the numbers demonstrate Gaza has much bigger problems than a few fatties.

While Hamas was to blame for some of this (firing rockets and starting the conflict; sealing the borders and not letting civilians seek aid in Egypt), I think the numbers demonstrate Gaza has much bigger problems than a few fatties.